Chapter 45: Gratefulness Rather Then Rage

Yelena raised an eyebrow at him. She was silent for a moment, and Mika fully expected her to scold him, to glare, to finally lose her calm and let him have it.

But then...Yelena’s lips curved into a serene smile, and she shook her head slowly.

"No...Not at all."

"Hmm?" Mika lips twitched, caught off guard for the first time.

"No." Yelena repeated, stepping forward. "I’m not angry, Mika. Not even a little bit."

"How...is that even possible?" Mika blinked, genuinely confused now. "Any parent would be furious seeing their daughter being played like this. Shouldn’t you be yelling at me right now?"

Yelena chuckled softly as she stopped just a few steps away from him. "You think I’d be angry because you’re flirting with someone else in front of Charlotte? Or because you’re treating her like a lovesick puppy? Mika..."

She gazed at him, her expression calm and composed but carrying a faint sharpness.

"You don’t understand me very well, do you? When it comes to Charlotte’s love life, who she wants to date, who she wants to marry, how she wants to handle her feelings, that’s her business, not mine."

"You’re saying you don’t care?" Mika asked cautiously.

Yelena’s smile widened slightly.

"I care enough to raise my daughter properly, to teach her strength, values, and principles. But when it comes to her love affairs? That’s not my place."

"...Unless Charlotte comes to me for help or advice, I won’t interfere. Her choices are her own responsibility."

Mika stayed silent as she stepped closer, her eyes sharp but not unkind.

"And as for you, Mika..." Yelena said softly, almost like a warning. "I especially don’t want to get mixed up in your relationships. I know how complicated they are."

Mika’s eyes narrowed slightly. "Complicated, huh?"

"Yes..." Yelena said with a faint sigh. "I know very well that it’s not just Charlotte. The rest of her sisters love you too, don’t they? I know exactly how much they care for you."

"The depth of their feelings isn’t something ordinary. It’s...dangerous. Messy. And I don’t want to get dragged into that storm."

Yelena exhaled deeply pulling on his cheek like she was punishing him for being so cheeky, as she spoke in a soft but careful tone.

"What I basically want to say, Mika...is that I would most definitely be happy if, one day, you became my son-in-law. Honestly, I’d probably be the happiest mother-in-law in the entire world."

Mika’s eyes widened slightly at her sudden confession, but she didn’t let go of his cheek. Instead, she pinched it harder, making him wince just a little.

"But..." Yelena continued with a wry smile. "Even if you don’t...I won’t be too heartbroken."

"Yes, I’ll feel a little sad...but that sadness won’t change the fact that you’ll always be my beloved Mika. The boy I raised, the boy I pampered, ever since you were a child. That bond won’t change, no matter what happens between you and Charlotte."

Mika felt his composure falter for a brief second as he looked away, slightly flustered.

"Don’t get cheeky with me now." Yelena teased, her eyes narrowing with a warm glint as she gave his cheek another tug. "You can confront me, challenge me, act all bold in front of my daughter, but at the end of the day...I’m still your guardian. The one who cared for you, scolded you, and watched you grow up. You can’t erase that, Mika."

Her words made him pause. For once, Mika didn’t have a quick retort. He simply let out a small sigh and avoided her gaze, which only made Yelena’s smile widen in satisfaction.

But then, to Mika’s surprise, Yelena’s voice softened further as she continued,

"In fact...instead of being angry about what you just did with that nurse, I’m actually...happy."

That caught Mika completely off guard. His brows furrowed as he turned back to her.

"Happy?" He repeated, his tone tinged with disbelief. "You’re saying you’re happy to see your daughter...being treated like this? Smiling like an idiot after watching me flirt with another girl?"

"...Do you even love your daughter? What kind of parent thinks that way?"

Yelena’s eyes softened further, her voice dropping into a quiet, reflective tone.

"You’re right. Under normal circumstances, I wouldn’t feel this way. I would be upset seeing Charlotte so submissive, so willing to let another girl flirt with you without so much as a word. Any other mother would feel hurt for her child...but Charlotte..."

She glanced at her daughter, who was at that moment nuzzling Mika’s chest happily, her earlier fury completely gone.

"...Charlotte isn’t exactly a normal girl."

Mika stayed silent, listening carefully as Yelena continued.

"When she was little..." Yelena said, her voice tight with old memory. "...she was always possessive."

"Even in kindergarten, when other girls from different classes came near you, she’d get defensive. She’d fight them, push them away, pull pranks...anything to make sure they stayed far from you."

Mika’s face darkened slightly at the memory, but he didn’t interrupt.

"I got so many complaints from teachers and parents back then." Yelena went on with a weary sigh. "They said Charlotte’s behavior wasn’t normal. And it wasn’t. She wasn’t just protective, she was obsessive...Dangerous even."

Her eyes clouded as she recalled one moment in particular.

"The one time I truly got worried...was when a teacher came to me in a panic. She said Charlotte had threatened another girl with a blade. She told her to stay away from you or...or else."

"And Mika, when I heard that...I realized this wasn’t some innocent childhood crush anymore. This was something bigger...Something darker."

Charlotte stiffened slightly in Mika’s arms but didn’t say a word.

"I was terrified." Yelena admitted. "She wasn’t just any little girl, Mika. She was a SSS-class blessed. If that kind of possessiveness kept growing, I feared what she might become."

"Today it might’ve been a push or a prank...but in the future? Who knows? I was scared for the other girls around you. I was scared for you too."

Mika let out a quiet exhale. "That...was true back then. She and her sisters were...intense. To say the least."

Yelena nodded slowly. "I tried everything to stop her. I scolded her, punished her, lectured her...nothing worked. She’d always go back to you. Always repeat the same behaviors. I was at my wit’s end. I didn’t know what to do..."

Her voice softened, almost tender now.

"But then, one day...she changed. Completely. No more complaints. No more threats. No more fights. She became quiet, calm. Even when other girls surrounded you, she just watched from the sidelines."

"And the teachers praised her for being so obedient. I couldn’t believe it. And I knew then, the reason for her change wasn’t me. It was something you did, wasn’t it?"

Mika stayed silent, his eyes lowering slightly.

"I never asked you what it was." Yelena said gently. "Because honestly, I was just...relieved. Whatever you did, it worked. You saved her from becoming something dangerous. And though she’s more submissive now, though she clings to you like this..."

She glanced at Charlotte, who was rubbing her cheek against Mika’s chest with a small, contented sigh.

"...it’s still better than the alternative. It’s better than her hurting others."

Mika exhaled softly, a calm but unreadable look settling on his face.

Yelena tilted her head at him, her hair brushing her shoulders as her eyes narrowed curiously.

"But now that we’re here...I have to ask. What did you do, Mika? What did you say to her back then to make her change so drastically?"

For a long moment, Mika didn’t answer. Instead, his eyes grew distant, as if recalling something buried deep in his memory. He closed his eyes briefly, his lips tightening before a small, guarded smile spread across his face.

"It’s better if we don’t talk about that." He said quietly.

Yelena blinked, slightly startled by the sudden weight in his words. But before she could respond, her eyes fell on Charlotte, and for the first time, Yelena noticed how pale her daughter’s face had turned.

It was as if the very mention of that day had drained all the color from her cheeks.

Charlotte’s usual spark, her confidence, her fiery presence, it was gone. Instead, she looked fragile. Sick. Terrified.

"Charlotte...?" Yelena murmured in surprise.

But Mika was already moving. He ruffled Charlotte’s hair again, his fingers weaving comfortingly through her locks before he gently pulled her closer. His voice dropped into an intimate, soothing murmur.

"It’s all right." Mika whispered, his hand resting at the back of her head. "It’s all right...nothing to worry about. I’ve got you."

As if his words were a magic spell, Charlotte’s breathing steadied, and little by little, color returned to her face. Her trembling stopped, and then, almost desperately, she threw her arms around Mika’s torso, burying her face into his chest as if seeking refuge from a nightmare that threatened to consume her.

Yelena stood frozen, watching her daughter cling to Mika with such intensity it almost hurt to look at. As Mika stroked Charlotte’s back, his eyes rose to meet Yelena’s again.

"If you really want to know." He said quietly, his tone no longer playful but edged with a sobering seriousness. "I can tell you...but definitely not now. Not while Charlotte is still here. She’s...still sensitive to that matter."

He glanced down at Charlotte, who was clutching his shirt tightly, refusing to let go. "And I’m not about to speak of it while she’s like this."

Yelena’s lips parted slightly, as though she wanted to press further, but then she paused. Her sharp eyes softened as they flicked from Mika to her daughter.

After a moment’s silence, Yelena sighed and shook her head. "If it’s something that my daughter is this sensitive about...then no. I don’t want to know either. You’re right, it’s better to keep it between the two of you."

Mika nodded, his hand never leaving Charlotte’s trembling back.

But even as Yelena said those words, her mind churned with a storm of questions.

’Just what in the world happened in the past? she wondered. What occurred in that one day when all of them, Charlotte and her sisters, were absolutely crazy over him? To the extent they were willing to harm other girls..What in the world could have made them so tame now?’

Her gaze lingered on Charlotte, her brave, fiery Charlotte, who now looked so small, so scared, as she clung to Mika like a frightened child.

’What happened to my daughter that day...that she’s this terrified even now?’